Last Kiss
by avan337
Summary: angst-filled song fic
1. Chapter 1

_Song by Taylor Swift_

**Last Kiss**

December 31, 2010

Betty looked out of the window of her living room, watching the rain drench the streets of London even as people hurriedly passed by on their way to parties. Her phone buzzed. Hurriedly she wiped the tears from her eyes as she reached for it. Seeing her sister's number on the screen, she sent it to voice mail and went back to watching the rain, remembering the events that led her to being alone on this night.

* * *

December 1, 2010

"I don't understand," Betty said, looking to Daniel for an explanation.

Daniel looked contrite but decisive. "I'm sorry, Betty, I really am. I never meant to hurt you."

"You were the one who followed me here," she said, her voice laced with anger, confusion and pain. "You pursued me, even when I wasn't sure, and now you're leaving?"

* * *

_I still remember the look on your face  
__Lit through the darkness at 1:58  
__The words that you whispered for just us to know  
__You told me you loved me so why did you go... away, away_

April 2010

They had a nice dinner that first night, and Daniel walked her to her apartment. She invited him in for a quick cup of tea that led to hours of conversation. She realized she missed home. She realized she had missed him, and the way he was looking at her seemed hypnotic. When he reluctantly got up to leave, she gave him a hug. He held her close and whispered, "Thanks for letting me say goodbye, and hello again. I want to do things differently with you this time, Betty." She closed her eyes as she felt heart leap into her throat.

* * *

_I do recall now the smell of the rain,  
__Fresh on the pavement,  
__I ran off the plane,  
__That July 9__th__, the beat of your heart,  
__It jumps through your shirt I can still feel your arms. _

July 9, 2010

Betty had an interview in Northern Ireland that would run in the first issue of the magazine. Lindsey arranged for her and one of their photographers to take a private plane for the trip. It was a thrilling experience, but she missed Daniel. They'd been inseparable since he had arrived in London three months before, and she couldn't wait to get home to him.

The plan the day of her return was for Betty to go to her apartment and rest until he got off of work, so she was shocked to see Daniel at the private hangar holding a poster that read "Suarez." Smiling, Betty rushed off the plane as fast as she could and into his arms. Laughing, he dropped the poster and spun her around.

* * *

_I do remember the swing of your step  
__The life of the party you're showing off again  
__And I roll my eyes and then you pulled me in.  
__I'm not much for dancing,  
__But for you I did because  
__I loved your handshake meeting my father  
__I love how you walk with your hands in your pockets  
__How you'd kiss me when I was in the middle of saying something.  
__There's not a day I don't miss those rude interruptions _

September 2010

Daniel really wasn't enjoying the publishing job he'd found in London, but he was enjoying partying with his new friends. Betty would join him when she wasn't working late, and was surprised to see how popular he'd become in such a short time. She wondered if this was what he was like in college, even if he did drink less now.

Betty could tell how enchanted everyone was with him. It intimidated her a little, but it also made her feel proud that she was the woman Daniel wanted to be with.

She was trying to explain her feelings to him the morning after one of these parties when he leaned over and kissed her mid-sentence.

"You interrupted me!" she squealed.

"Sorry, but I couldn't help myself," Daniel said then added sarcastically, "I promise it won't happen again."

Betty watched him dramatically put the newspaper back up, covering his face as he snapped the pages. Smirking, she slapped the paper down and climbed on top of him. "You're so rude," she said playfully before kissing him.

* * *

_I'll go sit on the floor wearing your clothes,  
__All that I know is I don't know, how to be something you miss.  
__Never thought we'd have a last kiss  
__Never imagined we'd end like this  
__Your name forever the name on my lips_

December 31, 2010

When the rain stopped, Betty decided she needed to go to bed. Pulling herself off the couch, she walked into the bedroom, flipped on the light and froze. Images of Daniel in her bed flooded her mind: sleeping, reading the paper, watching TV, making love.

Unable to deal with those memories, she crawled into the corner between the wall and her nightstand, pulling Daniel's Harvard sweatshirt over her legs. There would be no sleep tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

December 1, 2010

They weren't fighting; it was worse. Daniel was quiet and withdrawn. More often than not he would stay at his apartment. He didn't call during the day the way he did before.

At first, Betty was too wrapped up in the magazine launch to realize what was going on. She figured it was weird for him to concede the spotlight to her, no matter how proud of her he was. Whatever the problem, she assumed they would work it out.

When she finally went to his apartment to confront him about it, she was shocked to see boxes where furniture and books used to be.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I was going to tell you tomorrow, I swear," Daniel began, then trailed off. After a few moments he said, "I'm going back to New York."

"What?" she was taken completely off guard. "What about your job? What about us?"

He walked over to her and took her hands. "This wasn't what I expected. You know I hate my job, and yeah, I've been having fun, but it feels like I'm just spinning my wheels here."

"You can get another job, Daniel."

"There's more. Mom's been telling me for months that Mode sales are down since Wilhelmina took over. She's been asking me to come back. I feel like I owe it to her, to our family."

Betty shook her head. "Your mom would never ask you to give up your happiness for Meade Publications. She would never do that to you."

Daniel looked down.

"Oh, my god. You're _not_ happy, are you?" She dropped his hands as if they were hot coals. "You're not happy with me."

"I was," he answered, looking back up at her. "I was so sure of what I wanted when I came here, and it felt right…at first. But something changed. This is where _you're_ supposed to be, Betty, not me."

"I don't understand," she said.

Daniel looked contrite but decisive. "I'm sorry, Betty, I really am. I never meant to hurt you."

"You were the one who followed me here," she said, her voice laced with anger, confusion and pain. "You pursued me, even when I wasn't sure, and now you're leaving?"

"I wish things had turned out differently, but I can't lie to you, and I can't pretend that I still feel the same way."

"And you don't even want to try and work this out?" She was almost screaming. "God, Daniel, did you ever love me at all? What was this, some kind of challenge, some conquest?"

"No!" he yelled. "How could you even think that?"

"Oh, I don't know, because that's classic Daniel Meade behavior?" Betty turned around and wrapped her arms around herself.

Daniel came up behind her and turned her around to face him.

"Look, I thought I was in love. That's why I came after you. But maybe I was just confused. I do love you, Betty, I always will. But not in the way that you build a life on."

She laughed snidely as she brushed tears off of her cheeks. "Well, I'm glad you figured that out, Daniel. Too bad you couldn't do it without breaking my heart."

* * *

_So I'll watch your life in pictures like I used to watch you sleep and  
__I'll feel you forget me like I use to feel you breathe and  
__I'll keep up with our old friends just to ask them how you are.  
__Hope it's nice where you are_

December 3, 2010

He called to tell her he made it safely back to the States, and to apologize again. She didn't want to hear the apology, and she pretended not to care that he didn't fall out of the sky, so he quit calling.

Curiosity got the better of her over the next few weeks. She emailed Marc and called Amanda, looking for any news about how he was doing. Marc confided that, despite his allegiance to Wilhelmina, he was secretly happy Daniel was back at Mode and that Daniel seemed happy, too.

Amanda swore she would never speak to him again for what he did to Betty, but that ended the night Daniel called her up drunk, looking for sex. She didn't sleep with him, but she did agree to let him come over, and they renewed their friendship. Betty could tell Amanda was taking her place in Daniel's life. She was the friend he had coffee and lunch with, who he confided in. Betty hated it, but she couldn't keep herself from asking Amanda what they were up to, or looking at the photos she posted of the two of them on Facebook.

* * *

_and I hope the sun shines and it's a beautiful day and  
__Something reminds you,  
__You wish you had stayed  
__You can plan for a change in weather and time, but  
__I never planned on you changing your mind. _

December 22, 2010

"I know you hate me, and I don't blame you, but I just had to tell you how great the magazine is. I've bought a subscription and am giving them away as Christmas presents. I hope you're doing well, Betty, and that one day you can forgive me. Daniel"

Betty re-read the email as she came up from the subway and into the sunshine of a cold but clear New York winter's day. Daniel had sent the email a few days before she left to come home for Christmas. Her anger was beginning to subside, and she wondered if the note was Daniel's way of saying he missed her.

As the days went on, Betty convinced herself that she should go see him. Hilda tried to talk her out of it, and then tried to talk Betty into letting her come along, but she had put off her sister by insisting this was something she had to do alone. Besides, Betty wanted to be available in case Daniel seemed in the mood to talk.

Gathering up her courage, Betty entered the Meade building. Looking towards the elevators, she couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Daniel emerging from one. She smiled and stepped forward, but stopped quickly when she saw his hand attached to a woman's; a tall, thin, blonde woman she had never seen before. Betty watched as Daniel turned his head back to tell the woman something that made her laugh.

As they got closer to the door, Betty unfroze and quickly ducked behind a column, watching gratefully as they passed by without seeing her. She turned around and went home, managing not to cry in front of her father. She forced a smile on her face throughout the rest of her trip, but she couldn't get the picture of Daniel and the woman out of her mind.

* * *

_So,  
__I'll go sit on the floor wearing your clothes,  
__All that I know is I don't know, how to be something you miss.  
__Never thought we'd have a last kiss  
__Never imagined we'd end like this  
__Your name forever the name on my lips,  
__Just like our last kiss _

December 31, 2010, 11:59 p.m.

As the clock struck midnight, Betty could hear the fireworks and sounds of revelers bringing in the new year. She couldn't believe how much her life had changed in one year. She couldn't believe she had fallen in love with Daniel and lost him in just a matter of months. She couldn't believe she would never kiss him again.

* * *

Dec. 1, 2010

She laughed snidely as she brushed tears off of her cheeks. "Well, I'm glad you figured that out, Daniel. Too bad you couldn't do it without breaking my heart."

He looked at her helplessly. "Don't say that. You will find someone else, someone great. You were too good for me, anyway."

"Whatever you need to tell yourself," she answered, shaking her head. "I have to get out of here."

"Betty, wait!" Daniel grabbed her arm as she turned toward the door. Betty looked at him blankly, waiting for him to speak again.

"I know you're angry, but I hope we can salvage our friendship," before she could protest he continued, "someday. Your friendship has meant so much to me. And you'll never know how truly sorry I am for this."

Betty wanted to yell more, but she could see on his face that he was telling the truth. She wanted to make a dramatic exit, too, but she was relishing the feel of his hand still on her arm.

While she was warring with herself, Daniel leaned down and kissed her. She didn't resist.

"Daniel," she whispered as he pulled back.

"I shouldn't have done that, I know," he said. "I just…wanted to say goodbye."

She knew there was nothing more to say or do. Turning away from him, Betty walked out the door, quietly shutting it behind her.

* * *

Jan. 1, 2011 12:01 a.m.

The memory of her last kiss with Daniel brought more tears to Betty's eyes. She knew that tomorrow she would get out of her apartment and get on with her life. And she knew that eventually she would date someone else, marry someone else, have children with someone else.

She just didn't know if she'd ever truly get over loving Daniel Meade.

_Forever the name on my lips,  
__Forever the name on my lips.  
__Just like our last_


End file.
